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Megan Quinn: Faith groups to be on hand to back civil unions

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Posted:
04/26/2013 11:48:08 PM MDT

Updated:
04/26/2013 11:48:52 PM MDT

When the clock strikes midnight on Wednesday, same-sex couples will legally be able to enter a civil union in Colorado. And as couples line up at the Boulder County Clerk and Recorder's Office, several faith-based groups will be there to support them.

Many Boulder congregations, including Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and other denominations, already have a history of accepting members who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer. Though not all those congregations have performed marriage or civil union ceremonies, many GLBT-affirming communities said they're happy the relationships they've supported within church walls will have legal backing outside church walls, too.

The Out Boulder civil union celebration will start at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Clerk and Recorder's Office at 1750 33rd St. Couples may begin obtaining licenses at midnight.

Among the churches that will be on hand to offer support is First United Methodist Church. Rev. Patrick Bruns and other leaders of the church will offer blessings to interested couples. The church plans to start exactly at midnight Wednesday and continue into the day.

FUMC has a history of offering marriage-type ceremonies and blessings for GLBT couples.

About this time last year, Bruns announced that the church would offer ceremonies for committed and consenting adult life partners, regardless of their gender. FUMC notified its local bishop about the change, despite overarching church policies against the same-sex ceremonies.

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Now, Bruns is delighted his congregation's against-the-grain actions will have some legal support in Colorado.

"I can hardly wait for midnight May 1. The opportunity to bless civil unions and to consecrate these wonderful partnerships will be a marvelous privilege," he said in a statement. "I am certain that God smiles when we surround loving relationships with our own love, support, affirmation and welcome."

Other faith leaders said they also will attend the event in support of civil unions.

Rev. Roger Wolsey of the Wesley Fellowship, a church that welcomes GLBT members, said he will likely wear his church vestments as a visual sign of his congregation's support.

Wesley Fellowship, a congregation with a large University of Colorado Boulder membership, has many members who long have advocated for civil unions, either at a state or church level.

Wolsey said he won't offer civil union blessings on the spot, though. He has long held a policy that couples he marries should attend at least three of his marriage workshop sessions. It's a practice he extends to both gay and straight couples, he said.

"I should treat all couples the same way with the same policy," he said.

Another student group, Progressive Inclusive Student Ministry (PRISM), is excited for civil unions to become official. Though PRISM members are no longer meeting this year because of CU's finals calendar, PRISM campus minister Richard Robledo said the group has a good working relationship with the school's GLBT resource center and has had many conversations about the finer points of Colorado's civil unions bill.

Robledo, who also works at First Congregational Church, said the group is lucky to be in Boulder, where faith organizations have banded together to offer a support system for the GLBT community. First Congregational was the first church in Colorado to adopt an Open and Affirming (welcoming to GLBT members) label, having done so more than 25 years ago.

"Boulder churches have had a good history of support," Robledo said, adding that PRISM "really hopes this will continue ... so we can one day push for full marriage equality, too."

Not all of Boulder County's faith communities are on board with civil unions or same-sex marriage, however.

In March, Jim Burgen, lead pastor of the estimated 15,000-member Flatirons Community Church, took an official stand against gay marriage on the church's Facebook page. And Scott Nickell, one of Flatirons' pastors, also has spoken out against gay marriage on the church's blog.

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